This invention relates to water skier safety devices, and more particularly, this invention relates to wireless water skier alert systems.
Water skiing is becoming a popular past time and recreational activity. It requires not only a boat operator driving a boat towing a water skier via a rope and tow bar handle secured thereto, but also an observer positioned in the boat as a passenger, who constantly monitors the water skier performance. The observer notes to the water skier whether the water skier indicates a desire for changed water skier conditions, such as speeding up, slowing down, or turning around, or has fallen and requires the boat to return and pull the water skier back up out of the water either into a skiing position, or draw the skier into the safety of the boat.
When an observer is not available, it is necessary to include a device to apprise immediately a boat operator if a skier has fallen or voluntarily released hold of the ski rope. This is necessary to ensure that the boat operator does not continue driving the boat a long distance from the location where the water skier has fallen, and thus, placing the water skier into a dangerous position where other boats could run over him or her. Some systems use a wire extending from a water skier tow bar handle to an alarm positioned within the boat indicating when a skier has fallen. This could be accomplished, such as when the tow bar handle hits the water and blocks a signal generated from a transmitter. Other systems, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,611, use a wireless transmitter for generating a signal that generates an alarm after the skier lets go of the tow bar handle. In these systems, a preselected frequency is no longer transmitted and an alarm is activated by closure of a switch.
Other systems use complicated tow bar handles, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,683, teaching a complicated handle assembly with on/off switches and manually actuated trigger switches. U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,221 discloses a downed water skier warning system using electronic water sensors for sensing when the rope-handle of the skier tow-rope lands in the water. These water and pressure sensors are in remote communication with audible and visual tow boat operator alarms and visual xe2x80x9cskier downxe2x80x9d warning indicators.
The copending ""055 application overcomes these prior art problems such that the standard cylindrically configured and longitudinally extending tow bar handle is used with a skier alert system to generate not only an indication of a xe2x80x9cskier downxe2x80x9d signal, but also generate other signals that indicate a desired water skier condition, such as speeding up, slowing down, a directional turning around, or stop. The simple system provided for the boat operator to know when a skier down condition has occurred and when any change occurs in desired water skier conditions.
In the copending ""055 application, a water skier alert system is used with a boat towing a water skier via a rope and tow bar handle secured thereto and allows a water skier to indicate to a boat operator desired water skier conditions. The system also can indicate a skier down condition. This water skier alert system includes a radio receiver that is adapted to be positioned on the boat towing the water skier for receiving wireless radio signals transmitted from the tow bar handle in response to a skier down condition or the water skier""s actuation of actuator controls to indicate a desired water skier condition. A display is operative with the receiver and has indicia on the display that are actuated by the wireless transmitter signals and indicative of the skier down condition and each of the desired water skier conditions.
In that system, the water skier tow bar handle assembly comprises a cylindrically configured and longitudinally extending tow bar handle to which a tow rope is secured for towing a water skier and defining a surface having a grip over which the fingers and hands of the water skier can clasp. The tow bar handle defines a battery compartment, and in one non-limiting aspect of the present invention, has at least one open end defining the battery compartment for receiving at least one battery.
A pressure sensor is positioned at the grip portion and sensitive to hand and/or finger pressure exerted by a water skier. Control actuators are positioned along the grip and are water skier actuated to indicate a desired water skier condition. A wireless radio transmitter is positioned within the tow bar handle and operatively connected to a battery mounted within the battery compartment, the pressure sensor, and the control actuators for generating wireless signals indicative of a skier down condition when pressure is no longer exerted on the pressure sensor and desired water skier conditions after water skier actuation of the control actuators.
The present invention provides a more sturdy structure where the electronics that were previously incorporated in the tow bar handle as shown in FIGS. 1-6 are now positioned in a float assembly as shown in FIGS. 8 and 12. Thus, the tow bar handle can be formed even stronger to withstand the severe forces often accompanying aquatic sports, such as water skiing, in which a user grasps the tow bar handle.
In accordance with the present invention, a water skier tow bar and float assembly includes a tow bar handle having a grip over which the fingers and hands of a user clasp. Control actuators as control buttons are positioned along the grip and actuated by a user and indicative of a desired water skier condition. A float assembly is connected to the tow bar handle. A wireless radio transmitter is mounted within the float assembly and operatively connected to the control buttons for generating wireless signals of desired water skier conditions after water skier actuation of the control buttons.
In one aspect of the present invention, a battery compartment is contained within the float assembly and receives at least one battery for powering the wireless radio transmitter. The desired water skier conditions can comprise a speed up, a slow down, a turn and/or a stop position. An antenna can be operatively connected to the wireless radio transmitter. The antenna is carried by the float assembly, in one aspect of the present invention.
In another aspect of the present invention, each control button actuates the wireless transmitter and generates a wireless signal indicative of a desired water skier condition. The control buttons can be formed to respond to pressure exerted by a water skier. The control buttons can extend circumferentially around a portion of the tow bar handle. The control buttons each extend about 180 degrees around a portion of the tow bar handle and can be color coded to indicate desired water skier conditions.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a water skier alert system is used with a boat towing a water skier via a rope and a tow bar handle and float assembly secured thereto. A radio receiver is adapted to be positioned on the boat towing the water skier for receiving wireless radio signals transmitted from a tow bar handle and float assembly in response to water skier actuation of a desired water skier condition. A display is operative with the receiver for displaying a desired water skier condition and is actuated by the wireless transmitter signals and indicative of desired water skier conditions. The desired water skier conditions can be a speed up, a slow down, a turn and/or stop condition. The display preferably comprises an alphanumeric display. The alarms can sound for a predetermined period of time indicative of the desired water skier condition.